Every week we gather a variety of artist opportunities from the DC area and beyond. Find one below and apply today — good luck! Click here for recent opportunities posts, and submit your opportunity listing here.
Deadline: May 26 ORIGIN is an exhibit that explores the concept of home and how it is defined, personally and culturally, by looking at different personal narratives, family histories, and cultural practices. It is the process of learning more about oneself and discovering the “true” self. It involves understanding what makes a person unique. Also, it requires people to be open to new experiences and willing to take risks to better understand who we are and what we want out of life. It can also involve reflecting on one’s past, understanding one’s values, and exploring one’s passions. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 6 People and the Planet is an international open call that invites artists to think about our world and the humanity within it—how humans interact with the earth and all of its inhabitants. Artists are encouraged to submit pieces that explore: environmental & social issues, human interactions with nature, travel, climate change, natural materials & resources, population & development, Indigenous perspectives, changing landscapes, connections to the land, new discoveries, and more. All visual mediums are accepted, including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, ceramics, fiber, jewelry, fine craft, installations, video, and more. For more information, click here.
Deadline: July 1 The Foundation Art Festival (FAF 2023) is a juried Makers retail show, curated by our Arts & Exhibition Committee. We look for unique products that promote the mission of the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences. We are looking for artists who create handmade, original work. Seasoned or new artisans that create unique, high quality handmade products are encouraged to apply. However, we are open to products that are designed by the artist & produced in small quantities within the continental U.S. All mediums are welcome. For more information, click here.
Deadline: July 31 Pennsylvania Watercolor Society announces a call for entries for the 44th Annual International Juried Exhibition. First Place Award $1,750.00, plus additional cash and merchandise awards. For more information, click here.
Deadline: August 10 For this open art competition, all artwork entries must display a visual interpretation of some aspect of Freemasonry in Pennsylvania, whether it be philosophical, historical, scientific, social, fraternal, charitable, architectural, etc. Selected artwork will be exhibited in the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia. Constructed in 1873, the Masonic Temple has become one of the great “wonders” of the Masonic world. Adorned with some of the finest artifacts of Freemasonry and magnificent lodge rooms based on themes of the ancient architectural world. The Masonic Temple connects us with our past by outwardly displaying our Masonic traditions and values. Located within the Masonic Temple is the Masonic Library & Museum of Pennsylvania, which houses thousands of texts and artifacts relating to the history of the fraternity in the Commonwealth and the founding of our great nation. For more information, click here.
Deadline: August 18 The VSA Emerging Young Artists Program, a Jean Kennedy Smith Arts and Disability Program, showcases the work of visual artists with disabilities, ages 16-25, who reside in the United States. Fifteen winning artists are selected by a jury. Each winning artist receives a $5,000 award and has one of their submitted pieces selected to travel in a year-long national exhibition. Winning artists are required to attend an all-expenses-paid professional development workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. February 26-29, 2024. This call for art asks artists to explore the connection of different ideas and pathways to each other. For more information, click here.
Deadline: September 27 The 2024 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition is open to undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students enrolled in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico. All works must be primarily ceramic. Mixed media works will be accepted only when clay is the dominant material. For more information, click here.
Deadline: May 30 The City of Hagerstown seeks an artist to design permanent public art at two locations on the proposed Hub City Garage adjacent the Hagerstown Cultural Trail at 50 West Antietam Street. The City plans to construct the deck in 2023/2024 and the proposed art will be located on the structure as described herein. This artist call is presented in partnership with the Washington County Arts Council. For more information, click here.
Deadline: May 16 We are pleased to announce the call for entries for Strokes of Genius | The Best of Drawing! Win prizes and publication by entering this exciting drawing competition, brought to you by Artists Network and Artists Magazine. Strokes of Genius 15 | The Best of Drawing is our only drawing-specific competition and your opportunity to be recognized as the best of the best in contemporary drawing! For more information, click here.
Deadline: May 16 The Hopper Prize is accepting entries for Spring 2023 artist grants. We are offering 2 grants of $3,500 and 4 grants of $1,000. Jurors: Emily Edwards, Assistant Curator, Dallas Contemporary and Inês Costa, Curator, Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea. 30 artists will be selected for a shortlist. Additional exposure available through online publication and Instagram reaching an audience over 75k.
Deadline: May 20 Submit your best artwork of wild animals. All species of wild animals are welcome from the jungle to savanna to city. We’re looking for art of the wild open sea, sky, and land. Surprise and amaze us! CATEGORIES:Digital Art, Drawing and Pastels, Mixed Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture. For more information, click here.
Deadline: May 23 The Hopper Prize is accepting entries for Spring 2023 artist grants. We are offering 2 grants of $3,500 and 4 grants of $1,000 ($11,000 USD total prize money). 30 artists will be selected for a shortlist. Additional exposure is available via our online Journal and Instagram feed reaching 74k. For more information, click here.
Deadline: May 24 B.J. Spoke Gallery in Huntington, New York, invites artists who use paper as their primary medium to enter the Paperworks 2023 competition. Works made on paper, of paper or about paper: cut paper, folded paper, woven paper, glued paper, drawings, paintings, pastels, printmaking, photographs, paper sculpture, 3D, bound books, collage, mixed media, video, and installation are eligible. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 1 Exhibiting Artist membership to The Art League gallery provides artists with the continual opportunity to have their work judged by esteemed local arts professionals, and to compete to exhibit their work in one of Washington’s largest art galleries. Open Exhibits at the League are not limited by theme, medium, process, or content. July’s exhibit will be juried by Sarah Mari Shaboyan. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 1 Open to both Art League exhibiting members and non-members. This exhibit will showcase the artistry of various functional wares associated with the table. Mediums that will be accepted include ceramic, metal, fiber, wood, and glass. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 1 A partnership between the Arts Council and local Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs), the Artists-in-Education Grant Program places professional artists in residence at Howard County private and public K-12 schools to help students foster creative exploration. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 2 Art Fluent’s grant cycle is now open to individual artists through an international open call. The Evolution Grant will provide unrestricted funding to an individual artist with recognized artistic excellence in fine art media and a demonstrated commitment to their art. $1,000 to one visual artist each grant cycle. Unrestricted funds applied toward any expense to enhance the artist’s ability to create work. For more information, click here.
Deadlines: June 2 (Early Bird); June 16 (Application fee increases $10) The Arts Club of Washington is pleased to announce our continued support for the visual arts with the Call for Entries for 2024. Exhibitions are scheduled monthly, providing opportunities for artists to display their works, allowing the Arts Club to present a variety of art and artists to gallery visitors. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 4 Our streets and neighborhoods have a vibe all their own, depending on the time of day, occupants, and activities that occur. Street life may reflect the hustle and bustle to some or a quiet, contemplative atmosphere of one person peering out a window or sitting in isolation. People, animals, plants, cars, buildings can serve as muses on the street. Artists are invited to interpret the theme broadly in this all-media exhibit, even to include an abstract representation that a neighborhood imparts. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 5 The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture requests exhibition proposals from artists for the Popcorn Gallery, Stone Tower Gallery, and Park View Gallery at Glen Echo Park for the calendar year 2024. The mission of the Glen Echo Park Partnership Galleries is to showcase the work of diverse artists, including resident artists at Glen Echo Park and artists from the greater Washington, D.C. area. We aim to exhibit quality art by artists who represent a broad spectrum of our region, with diverse backgrounds, and working in a wide range of artistic media. Our exhibitions attract visitors from across the region and bring new audiences to Glen Echo Park. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 6 The Artists Magazine 40th Annual Art Competition honors work from outstanding artists working in a variety of art media. Enter to win more than $20,000 in cash prizes. This year’s Grand Prize Award is $3,000 and the winning artwork will be featured on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2024 issue Artists Magazine! Learn more here.
Deadline: June 7 The Fredrick Festival of the Arts will be held at its usual creekside location at Carroll Creek Park, an urban park in the heart of historic downtown Frederick, less than an hour from Baltimore and Washington DC. Carroll Creek Park offers a beautiful view, specialty shops, outdoor dining, distilleries, and breweries. The festival will feature two sides: Fine Art and the Crafter’s Marketplace. This competitive show is limited to approximately 150 exhibitors chosen by a jury of highly qualified, talented, experienced, 2D and 3D fine artists and craftspeople. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 9 The Phillips Collection invites digital media artists living in or connected to neighborhoods in Wards 7 & 8 in Washington, DC, to submit multimedia work to be part of the Digital Intersections series. Digital Intersections continues The Phillips Collection’s long tradition of working closely with living artists, and engaging with communities locally, nationally, and internationally to make our collection, programming, and opportunities accessible to all. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 10 The Mini-Grant Program is for grant requests between $100 and $500 for organizations, schools, and artists that sponsor qualifying arts activities. The Mini-Grant Program can also supply funds to individual artists. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 17 (early-bird discount for entries received before May 20) McLean Project for the Arts currently seeks submissions for the 17th Annual MPAartfest, a one-day juried fine art and craft show and sale featuring the work of more than 40 local and regional visual artists. This year’s festival will take place on Sunday, October 1, from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm in McLean Central Park. Artists retain 100 percent of in-park sales. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 20 We are pleased to announce the call for entries for Strokes of Genius | The Best of Drawing! Win prizes and publication by entering this exciting drawing competition, brought to you by Artists Network and Artists Magazine. Strokes of Genius 15 | The Best of Drawing is our only drawing-specific competition and your opportunity to be recognized as the best of the best in contemporary drawing! For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 22 Innovate Grant is thrilled to introduce our newly increased award amounts of $1,800.00. Innovate Grant awards (2) $1,800.00 grants each quarter, to one Visual Artist and one Photographer. In addition, (6) honorable mentions (3 in art and 3 in photo), will be featured on our website and join a growing community of vibrant and talented artists. Learn more here.
Deadline: June 24 Maryland, D.C., and Virginia artists are invited to submit a poster design for the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival Poster Contest. An exhibition will be held for the winner and finalists at the F. Scott Literary Festival to be held in Rockville on Saturday, October 21, 2023. An honorarium/award of $1000 will be awarded to the winner; 2nd and 3rd place will be awarded $100 each. Each winner will receive a free ticket to the festival. NFor more information, click here.
Deadline: June 30 The Grants for Artists program provides financial support accompanied by recommended, MSAC-supported professional development offerings tailored to meet the needs of artists working in various genres and media. For more information, click here.
Deadline: June 30 The Black Art Today Foundation will award two $1,000 scholarships to two graduating high school students. Applicants must be residents of Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Montgomery County, or Prince George’s County. Applicants must be pursuing an undergraduate degree in the visual, performing, or literary arts including music, dance, theatre, or other performing arts at an accredited college and/or university in the United States. For more information and to apply, click here.
Deadline: July 1 Exhibiting Artist membership to The Art League gallery provides artists with the continual opportunity to have their work judged by esteemed local arts professionals, and to compete to exhibit their work in one of Washington’s largest art galleries. Open exhibits are not limited by theme, medium, process, or content. Exhibiting artist members may enter current work made within the last five years. For more information, click here.
Deadline: July 1 Howard County Arts Council is seeking applicants for teaching artist positions for the Fall 2023 class session, which will run from September 16 to November 17. Qualified individuals are invited to submit proposals for youth and/or adult classes or workshops in any performing or visual arts discipline. For more information, click here.
Deadline: July 1 Exhibiting Artist membership to The Art League gallery provides artists with the continual opportunity to have their work judged by esteemed local arts professionals, and to compete to exhibit their work in one of Washington’s largest art galleries. emBODY, our themed exhibit for August, seeks artwork with an emphasis on the body, face, and gesture. Works may be a traditional or unexpected interpretation of the portrait genre, from self-portraits to abstract figurative work. For more information, click here.
Deadline: July 8 The Foundation Art Festival (FAF 2023) is a juried Makers retail show, curated by our Arts & Exhibition Committee. We are looking for artists who create handmade, original work. Seasoned or new artisans that create unique, high quality handmade products are encouraged to apply. However, we are open to products that are designed by the artist & produced in small quantities within the continental U.S. All mediums are welcome. For more information, click here.
Deadline: July 18 The Artists Magazine 40th Annual Art Competition honors work from outstanding artists working in a variety of art media. Enter to win more than $20,000 in cash prizes. This year’s Grand Prize Award is $3,000 and the winning artwork will be featured on the cover of the Jan/Feb 2024 issue Artists Magazine! For more information, click here.
Deadline: August 22 The show will feature photographs that capture candid moments, revelatory interpretations, and brilliant reflections of the mundane—work commonly referred to as “street photography.” For more information, click here.
Deadline: August 25 Artists who live or work in Virginia, Maryland, or the District of Columbia may submit a proposal for a solo show. A group of artists who live or work in the area may submit a proposal for a group show. A curator, living or working anywhere, may submit a proposal for a show featuring works by artists living or working in this area. For more information, click here.
Deadline: Until filled The Art League is looking for skilled instructors in all visual arts disciplines. We’re particularly keen to recruit new hires for our sculpture, stained glass, and watercolor departments. Preferred applicants will have a personable and patient disposition, excellent communication skills, and the ability to teach their medium to groups of beginning, intermediate, and/or advanced level students. Class sizes range, depending on enrollment, from around 5 to 30 students. Experience teaching is helpful but not an absolute requirement. To apply, send a cover letter with statement of intent, resumé, and 6-10 tiffs or jpegs of current work to Ariane D’Souza via email at [email protected].
Every month Create! Magazine! picks several winning images of artists’ studio spaces and features them on their website and social media along with artists’ work and story. Submit a quality image of your workspace, studio or kitchen table where you make work for a chance to be featured. For more information and to submit, click here.
Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council (PGAHC) is featuring county artists at its newest art space Arts’tination at National Harbor, the premier arts and entertainment destination in our regions Located at 162 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD. Arts’tination is dedicated to supporting local artists and curating immersive creative experiences. PGAHC is recruiting artists to show and sell their work and/or to conduct arts related workshops for the public. Artists should submit work samples and inquires to [email protected]. For more information please visit https://www.pgahc.org/artstination.
These monthly grants range from $500–$3,000, with the average amount being $1,700. Visual and performing artists whose work is of a contemporary, experimental nature and who have a US Tax ID Number can apply. For more information, click here.
Links Bridge Vineyards, a small artisan style winery located just outside of Frederick, Maryland, is looking to feature the artwork of various artists on the walls of their tasting barn for two weeks at a time. To learn more, call Joan Cartier 301-602-5733 or email her at [email protected].
Pyramid Atlantic offers year-round workshops in printmaking, papermaking, book arts, and hybrids thereof. We offer multi-week, daytime, evening, and weekend intensives for adults in our fully equipped studios. As part of a robust and diverse schedule of offerings, we welcome unsolicited workshop proposals, and hope that you will consider applying! Workshop proposal reviews are ongoing, but for best consideration, submit class proposals by the following dates: 1/15 for Summer Workshops; 4/1 for Fall Workshops; 7/1 for Winter Workshops; 10/1 for Spring Workshops. Questions? Email Gretchen, Artistic Director, [email protected]
2020 has been dedicated to the Year of the Woman in Maryland. Do you have an inspiring story about vital contributions of women-identifying people who are artists, arts administrators, or cultural workers? Perhaps an exhibition, performance or project featuring women? Share it with the Maryland State Arts Council for potential use in marketing and communications! Send your ideas to [email protected], and include “Year of the Woman” in the subject line. Satff will contact senders whose stories are selected for inclusion in future newsletters, eblasts, or social media postings. Learn more about Maryland’s year of the Woman here.
Busboys and Poets is looking for submissions from Maryland and Virginia artists as it expands to new locations in both areas. Submissions can include drawings, painting, photography, sculpture, mixed media, assemblage, fiber, quilts, etc. Art images reflecting life in the city, family, portraits, whimsy, abstraction, social uplift and life experiences within diverse cultures are encouraged for submission. For more information, click here.
This residency was designed to give emerging contemporary artists an online platform to create new work and explore their practice. Over the course of four weeks, artists will be encouraged to experiment and explore their concepts and move their work forward in the contemporary art world. Learn more here.
The Alper Initiative for Washington Art features five exhibitions per year in the newly constructed first floor space in the American University Museum. We accept submissions, on a rolling basis, from Washington artists of all ages and backgrounds, and working in diverse media. The museum’s Director and Curator, Jack Rasmussen, will select curators who will review these submissions for potential use in Alper Initiative exhibitions. For more information click here.
The Hamilton Arts Collective (HAC) and the Hamilton Gallery seek applications from artists for month-long Guest Artist exhibitions at Hamilton Gallery located at 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD. The selected guest artists will be invited to exhibit a selection of their current work in Gallery I of the Hamilton Gallery. The Guest Artist exhibition is featured in Hamilton Gallery communications and will be promoted by the HAC and Hamilton Gallery. This is an open call to artists residing within 60 miles of Baltimore City. Baltimore residents are encouraged to apply. Click here to learn more.
The Howard County Arts Council gallery program was established to enhance the public’s appreciation of the visual arts, provide a venue to exhibit the work of local, regional, and national artists in a professional space, and provide leadership in the arts by presenting a broad spectrum of arts in all media from both emerging and established artists. Artists, ages 18 and older, working in all media and styles including time-based and installation artists, are encouraged to apply either individually or as a group. Proposals from curators and arts organizations are also welcome. Click here to learn more.
The Maryland Art Place (MAP) is working with Hotel Indigo in downtown Baltimore to offer rotating exhibitions in the hotel’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats restaurant. This opportunity is open to visual artists living or working in Maryland. ’s public art partnership projects (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo, is pleased to announce an open call to artists. MAP will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Click here to learn more.
The Athenaeum Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia exhibits visual arts created solely by artists living or working in the region (DC, Maryland and Virginia) and strives to present visitors with a wide variety of excellent art and unique experiences. In addition to the shows curated by the Gallery Director, the Athenaeum Gallery invites artists and curators to submit show proposals. For more information, click here.
Deadline: Rolling. The purpose of the Creativity Grant Program is to strengthen the vitality and sustainability of artists and small organizations to maintain a strong and stable arts infrastructure in the State of Maryland. The Creativity Grant also provides opportunities to serve the growing needs of relevant arts projects and collaborations within Maryland communities. For more information regarding eligibility and funding timelines, please review the Creativity Grants Guidelines. For more information about the program, and to apply visit the Creativity Grant Program State of Maryland website.
Deadline: Rolling. Submit original works of art inspired by, but not necessarily representative of, an academic medicine experience from any perspective: caregiver, researcher, teacher, learner, or patient (for example, learning how to be a physician or scientist, caring for patients, exploring research questions, making a new discovery, being a research participant, teaching, or being cared for in a teaching hospital). The journal welcomes photography, sculpture, painting, textile work, and other visual media. Images may be cropped or resized to fit into the allotted cover space. Artists must also submit a related Cover Art essay as a narrative companion to the artwork, to explain the connection between the work and the “academic medicine experience.” The related narrative should be 250 to 600 words and is subject to editing. To apply for this opportunity, and to learn more, visit the Academic Medicine website.
Deadline: Open. The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is a worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of “awesomeness in the universe.” Established in 2009, the foundation distributes $1,000 grants on a monthly basis to projects and their creators. The money is pooled from ten or more self-organizing “micro-trustees.” The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest. Apply on the Awesome Foundation website.
Deadline: rolling. Maryland Art Place (MAP), in partnership with Hotel Indigo is pleased to announce an open ‘Call to Artists’. As an extension of MAP’s annual IMPACT public art partnership projects, MAP is working with Hotel Indigo to offer rotating exhibitions in Hotel indigo’s library and Poets Modern Cocktails and Eats. This opportunity is available to visual artists living or working in Maryland. Maryland Art Place will curate four exhibitions a year based on submissions entered through a rolling basis. Guidelines and information here.
Deadline: Rolling. Peripheral ARTeries is looking for artists to be featured in the new special Biennial Edition of their art publication, that comes to its 10th edition. This opportunity is great for both established and early career artists who need a boost to their artist portfolio. The 10th edition will once again explore and show current trends and tendencies in Contemporary Art: Peripheral ARTeries cultivates a spirit of openness through a unique collaborative and participatory approach.Each artist may submit a maximum of three works or projects made in any technique: painting, drawing, video art, experimental cinema, fine art photography, experimental media, mixed media, installations, public art, performance. The call is open to all proposed kind of art and media capable of challenging the viewers’ traditional perspective on art itself. To submit, visit the Peripheral ARTeries website.
Artists works will displayed in the hotel’s gallery (220 S Union St, Old Town Alexandria) for a six-month period. Two-dimensional, framed works only. Artists will install the work using the hotel’s mounting hardware. Labels will be provided by the hotel. All sales handled by artist, no commission. Preference for local or locally influenced selections but not required. The space measures approximately 7’10” by 8’3.″ If interested, contact Kate Ellis, General Manager, [email protected].
Ongoing. Located in Studio 8, the New Project Studio is a community-focused arts incubator space that offers a short-term location to test new program ideas, spotlight underrepresented voices, and enhance community engagement. Projects rotate on a regular basis. For more information, click here.
Ongoing. The City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts provides grants for nonprofit arts organizations as well as individual artists. See all current opportunities and online applications here.
Deadline: ongoing. Montgomery College, Rockville and Germantown Art Department is seeking proposals for its Artist-in-Residence Program, encouraging proposals that cultivate collaborative work between artists and students.
Deadline: ongoing. Foundry Gallery is seeking a few artists in the greater Washington, DC area. If interested in applying for membership please send up to five images (jpg attachments) and an email letter to: [email protected]. The oldest cooperative in Washington, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows at its beautiful space north of Shaw near the 9:30 Club.
Deadline: ongoing. Washington Printmakers Gallery is seeking artist members specializing in printmaking, photography and book arts. An active cooperative for over 30 years, the gallery holds monthly solo and members’ group shows in its lovely space in upper Georgetown. Distant and shared memberships are available. If interested in applying for membership please email [email protected].
Sign up for our weekly blog newsletter, subscribe to our RSS feed, or like us on Facebook for the latest Art League news. Visit our homepage for more information about our classes, exhibits, and events in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
You can support The Art League every time you shop through AmazonSmile!
Simply set The Art League as your chosen charity, and every time you shop at smile.amazon.com, a portion of your purchase will be donated to support our mission to share the experience of visual arts with the community.
